Sunday, January 11, 2015

Tableside at Michaels-on-the-Thames

By BRYAN LAVERY

My passion for
French cooking was ignited when I travelled through France at age 22. A year
later I was asked to run the kitchen at The Vineyard, one of Toronto’s first
wine bars. In those days, French cuisine dominated the fine dining scene. My
mentor was a serious gastronome who informed and educated my palate by wining
and dining me in the most prestigious fine dining institutions in Toronto. All
of these establishments — Napoléon, Three Small Rooms, Auberge Gavroche, Fenton’s,
Les Cavaliers and the dining rooms at the King Edward Hotel and the Westbury
Hotel — were French, and enjoyed august reputations and discerning clientele. The same
welcoming hospitality, and the same discreet but impeccable service were extended
to everyone.

Tastes are
transitory and altered sensibilities have brought changes to the cuisine and
classic styles of restaurant service that I esteemed in my early career. Good
value to the patron does not mean cheap prices. It refers to the quality and
quantity of the food, the level of service, and the décor and ambience.

To my mind, French
food has always been the cuisine synonymous with refined taste and, to some
extent, it still is. To this day I appreciate the skill and showmanship of
French-style service. French service is distinguished by the fact that all or
part of the preparation of the dish, or at least the finishing of it, is done
in the dining room. This type of service requires a cart or gueridon and
organized mise en place to facilitate cooking at the side of the patron’s
table. Tableside preparations might involve sautéing or flambéing an item, or
carving it, boning a fish or composing a salad from scratch.

Classic tableside cooking is part of the innate charm of
Michaels-on-the-Thames.The restaurant is at once appealing and traditional, and yet old-school: Caesar
salad for two, prepared tableside, as well as flaming dishes, also done
tableside including whole Dover sole meuniere, pepper steak “Dorchester” with
brandy demi-glace, cherries jubilee and strawberries alla Marco.

If you’re hungry for
steak Diane the dining room staff will create that at a tableside cart for you
too. It is not a classical French recipe, though its preparation is at
least a cousin to the French (steak coated in cracked peppercorns accompanied
by a cognac and butter sauce). It's all
about elegance, presentation, and personal attention. The showmanship starts
with a tender cut of beef tenderloin pounded thin and pan-fried in butter to
your preference. It then is topped with a rich sauce of more butter, shallots,
and mushrooms, and flambéed with brandy and a splash of fresh cream. An
intoxicating wine bouquet and fragrant beef aroma emanates from the pan. The
same goes for the Brome Lake duck à l’orange, whose boozy sauce will be whisked and flambéed a few inches
from your table.

One evening while
dining with my nephew, service professional Maria Homolay served us
juicy-on-the-inside, seared and roasted Chateaubriand. The Chateaubriand, which
can be ordered for a table of two, is served in the traditional manner
accompanied by a variety of vegetables and crowned with béarnaise sauce.
Chateaubriand and béarnaise sauce have a natural kinship, with the sauce of
clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks, white wine vinegar and flavoured with
tarragon playing off the beef tenderloin.There was naturalness to the way Homolay moved and worked – a
professionalism that has made many dining experiences at Michael’s-on-the-Thames
memorable. It offers classic French
flair for diners who prefer a bit of finesse while dining—and appreciate
a bit of interaction with their tableside preparation.

For thirty-one years
and counting Michael’s-on-the-Thames has been regarded as London’s “celebration
destination”, and for good cause. Owner-operator Brian Stewart, executive chef
Denis Clavette, kitchen manager Dave Wyler and their kitchen brigade consistently
give patrons what they want, and that is why the restaurant remains popular.
There is no attempt to be trendy or cutting edge at Michael's.

Besides tableside cooking, there are prix fixe menus and many àla carte selections that mostly stick to tried
and true classics. There is Cobb salad, colossal shrimp stuffed with crab and
wrapped in pancetta and finished with a Pernod beurre blanc drizzle, baked west
coast halibut with lemon beurre noisette, and even the Valencian classic,
paella. In Chef’s hands, paella is a fragrant combination of Metzger’s chorizo,
duck confit, mussels, scallops, shrimp and saffron rice.

An experienced entrepreneur
(Stewart owned Sam the Record Man franchises), and inspired by his inveterate
restaurant patron father's appreciation for fine dining, Stewart recognized
he'd found the ideal location for his new endeavour the minute he saw the former
tile and cement warehouse which gave way to Guildwood Lighting in the early
1960s.

The restaurant has an intimate atmosphere with its private dining areas,an enclosed sun room beside the Thames River, the sophistication of a baby
grand piano overlooking the dining room, oak decor, tables with plenty of elbow
room and a stone fireplace. A rotating
cast of pianists that include David Priest and Dean Harrison play classics and
jazz on the baby grand at select times during dinner.

Until a few years
ago, Jack Di Carlo had been the maître d' at Michael's since 1986. He created a
lasting impression on the clientele, greeting and serenading customers andcementing
the restaurant’s reputation as a romantic dining destination. It is a
reputation that endures.

General Manager Joelle Lees and certified sommelier/captain Andrew
Fratepietro are warm and hospitable and, in addition to applying their skills
and charisma as restaurant professionals, are focused on creating great dining
experiences. Good service is one of the primary things diners consider in
judging the value of a restaurant. The service here is a welcome throwback, countering the prevalent attitude
of casual service that favours over-familiar waiters and high pressure
upselling tactics.

Fratepietro’s wine list is a virtuous representation of the style and
cuisine of the restaurant and has options for many different types of wine
drinkers, both in terms of price point and style. There are some excellent
consignment wines on the list.

While many restaurateurs and chefs are working to comprehend and
respond to the expectations of the food savvy Generation X and the Millennial
Generation, Michael’s remains an intentional and charming anachronism while appealing
to the tastes and preferences of its changing demographic.

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Ontario Culinary Tourist

I am a
writer, culinary columnist and food and social media editor in London and
Toronto, Ontario. A chef, former restaurateur and hospitality consultant with
over thirty years in the industry, my work has appeared in a variety of print
and on-line publications. I also freelance written editorial and visual content
for tourism and corporate clients.